Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Inside Isabella’s Office

Adonis stood before the heavy oak door of the faculty wing. He didn’t bother knocking softly.

He pushed it open with a creak.

​The office was a tomb of crystalline blue and white. Isabella sat behind her desk, her fingers interlaced, her spectacles reflecting the cold light of the enchanted lamps.

​She didn’t look up immediately. She let the silence fester as a tactic meant to break the resolve of unruly students.

But Adonis wasn’t a student anymore. He was a man with a Primodial Dragon’s Heart beating in his chest.

He stood his ground, his shadow stretching long across her polished floor.

​”Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Isabella finally spoke, “Marcus is the son of Marquis Hogarth. Alfred is a Duke’s heir. You didn’t just break their bones, Adonis. You broke a century of political etiquette. The Academy is screaming for your expulsion, and the Royal Court is already drafting a formal grievance.”

​Adonis furrowed his brows, just a little.

“They were making noise, Teacher. I silenced it for you.”

​”Silence?” For me?” Isabella slammed her hand on the desk coldly, “Bang!”

“You turned a classroom into a pighouse! My classroom! Why? Give me one reason why I shouldn’t hand you over to the disciplinary committee right now.”

​”They called my mother a whore.”

​The words were flat, devoid of the heat that had consumed him minutes ago.

​Isabella froze. Her sharp blue eyes searched his face, looking for a lie, but she found only a cold, hollowed-out sincerity.

​”They said I was the bastard of a prostitute. But my mother was the most graceful, kind-hearted woman I have ever known. She lived in a world that tried to crush her every single day, and she did it with a smile. I will let them mock my name. I will let them mock my status. But if they spit on her memory, I will tear their tongues out. Every. Single. Time.”

​The frost on the desk retreated slightly. Isabella’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second, but her professional mask remained intact.

The notification in Adonis’s mind remained stagnant: Affection Level: 5%.

She was logical to a fault, and logic dictated that feelings didn’t excuse political suicide.

​”Your sentiment is noble, Adonis, but your methods are suicidal,” she sighed, leaning back. “The Marquis will not care about your mother’s honor. He will care about his son’s shattered kneecaps. They will come for you with everything they have. Even the Dean cannot shield a student from a Duke’s wrath. Most importantly you did everything in front of Prince Malvis. From my understanding, he will not speak kindly of You”

​”Hah…” Adonis let out a short, dry chuckle. He began to walk toward her, ignoring the layer of ice still clinging to the laces of his boots.

He stopped just inches from her desk, leaning down until he was at eye level with her.

​”Are you worried about me, Professor?”

​Isabella’s eyebrows shot up with annoyance. “No. I am worried about the paperwork your corpse will generate.”

​”Liar! You didn’t use your high-tier spells. You used ’Absolute Restraint.’ You didn’t want to hurt me. You wanted to save me from killing them and making the situation irreversible. You’ve been looking after me since the moment I walked into that classroom.”

​Isabella felt a strange heat rise to her neck, clashing sharply with her ice affinity.

“Don’t be arrogant. I was protecting the Academy’s reputation.”

Nonetheless, he said,

​”Thank you for looking after me, Isabella,”

​He didn’t call her Professor. He used her name, and for a heartbeat, the air in the room didn’t feel cold anymore.

​”You’re insane,” she muttered, though she didn’t pull away.

“How can you be so calm? By tomorrow morning, the Kingsbane name will be dragged through the mud, and your father, that lesser duke, won’t be able to lift a finger to help you either. The Royal Family will have to make an example of you to appease the Uppder Duke.”

​Adonis straightened his back coolly.

. “My father is a non-factor. He wouldn’t help me even if he could. But don’t worry about the retaliation. Someone will take care of everything for me.”

​Isabella frowned, her mind racing through the list of powerful figures in the Kingdom.

“Someone? Who? Unless you have a secret contract with the King himself, there is no one who can silence a Duke after his son has been crippled.”

​”Let’s just say I have a few friends in high places,” Adonis replied vaguely.

​He was thinking of seeking Mariana’s help, of course. Even if not asked, she would not let anything happen to him.

​Isabella watched him with growing suspicion.

She knew his background. He was a disgraced noble from a failing house. He should have been trembling, begging for her protection. Instead, he was standing there, flirting with her while the world prepared to execute him.

​”You are a riddle I’m starting to regret trying to solve,” she said with tired sigh.

​”Then stop trying to solve me and just watch,” Adonis countered. “I told you before, I’m not the same person who was admitted to this Academy. The rules don’t apply to me anymore.”

​He turned toward the door, stopping only when his hand reached the handle.

​”The ice was a bit too cold today, by the way. Next time, try a warmer welcome.”

​”Get out!” Isabella snapped, though there was no real venom in it.

​As the door clicked shut, she sank into her chair. She looked at the report on her desk, then at the shattered remnants of ice on the floor.

​”A lesser Duke’s son… with that kind of pressure?”

she whispered to the empty room.

“Who is backing you, Adonis Kingsbane?”

​She picked up her pen, but her hand stayed suspended over the paper. For the first time in years, the “Ice Queen” of the Royal Academy felt a flicker of genuine curiosity that she couldn’t freeze away.

​Outside, Adonis walked down the hallway, the system interface flickering before his eyes.

​[ Affection Level (Isabella Frostbite): 7% (+2%) ]

​< Note: Her curiosity is piqued, Maater. Her logic has failed against your audacity. >

​He smirked. The noble houses would come for him, yes.

But he was no longer a sandbag for them to kick around.

​

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